Restaurant terminology can be a funny thing.

Ten years ago, you could drive up to just about any fast-food joint and buy a fried chicken sandwich. Now, "fried" has become a dirty word associated with everything from arterial plaque to the overall moral decay of Western civilization, and your fried sandwich will more than likely be sold as a "breaded" chicken sandwich.

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This is disingenuous in the extreme. Breading is part of the preparation, not the cooking. Do they call a grilled chicken sandwich a "thawed" sandwich? It's all an attempt to make you think that what you want -- a big, juicy, fried hunk of bird -- is somehow healthier.

Make no mistake: In this article, we will be comparing fried chicken sandwiches. Every sandwich has at its heart a breaded, battered or otherwise flour-encased chunk of chicken. They are all rated on an A to F scale, based on a cumulative assessment of flavor, texture and appearance.

Nutritional information is given for all sandwiches, if available.

McDonald's Premium Crispy Chicken Classic: 550 calories, 22 grams fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 1,200 mg sodium, 61 grams carbs

Ah, yes, "crispy." Here's yet another word used to get around "fried." This sandwich wanted very badly to break out of the McDonald's rut. It really did. It was one of the more attractive sandwiches in the test. However, the meat had a bizarrely gelatinous texture that reminded me of an oversized McNugget, and the breading was far too limp. Final grade: C-.

Wendy's Spicy Chicken Fillet Sandwich: 440 calories, 16 grams fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 1,300 mg sodium, 46 grams carbs.

Wendy's was one of the first to dare to add some spice to its chicken offerings, and it has done a good job keeping up the quality. My only knock on this one was an overabundance of toppings that led to a very soggy bun, turning it into a knife-and-fork affair. That also wrecked the appearance grade a bit. Final grade: B.

Jack in the Box Spicy Chicken Sandwich: 620 calories, 31 grams fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 1,100 mg sodium, 61 grams carbs.

This one is strikingly similar to the Wendy's offering, with almost twice the fat. Sadly, I'm not really sure where it went. The bun and appearance were better than the Wendy's offering, but the meat was middling dry, and the spice stopped just short of adequacy. Final grade: B-

Sonic Breaded Chicken Sandwich: 670 calories, 33 grams fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 1290 mg sodium, 66 grams carbs. I should have docked this one a grade for the "breaded" silliness, but this is one really good sandwich. The seasoning was excellent, the breading was crispy and the lettuce and tomato were nice and fresh. The meat was a bit dry, really the only demerit, bringing it in at a respectable A-.

Burger King Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich: 790 calories, 44 grams fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 1640 mg sodium, 68 grams carbs.

With the highest fat, calories, cholesterol, sodium and carbs on the list, this is not health food. However, it is one great sandwich. The bun was excellent, the lettuce and tomato fresh, and the fried patty flavorful and wonderfully moist. That was our clear winner, giving Burger King a sweep of the chicken-sandwich ratings.

Burger King seems to have learned to use its fat grams to the best effect, turning out seriously flavorful sandwiches without the high fat making them greasy in any way. If you're eating your chicken sandwich because you're honestly trying to cut fat, this is not your choice. At 790 calories, it's actually 30 calories higher than a Whopper with cheese!

However, judging purely on taste, Burger King's a double winner. More Info:

Eating On The Go

Nutrition Guide

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